COVID-19: Respite for locals from Kharghar right up to Panvel

The urban health centre at Kalamboli will be converted into a Dedicated COVID Health Care Centre

Residents from Kharghar to Panvel will soon get a Dedicated COVID Health Centre (DCHC), which had been a concern, as they feared a second wave of the pandemic. In the next few weeks a ground plus two-floor DCHC will be set up by CIDCO for PMC at Kalamboli. midday in the report 'Second wave threat: PMC has merely 120 beds for 8.4 lakh residents,' on November 25 had highlighted the poor health infrastructure in Panvel.

Kailas Shinde, joint managing director (III) CIDCO, said, "As per state government directives, we are setting up a DCHC at sector 5, Kalamboli, which will have a 12-bed intensive care facility and also 60 beds with oxygen support. Our role is to set up the health infrastructure facility and hand it over to PMC."

All the required facilities as per the government guidelines for COVID management needed for the DCHC will be provided by CIDCO

A highly placed official in PMC said, "We have been demanding a jumbo care centre or DCHC, when CIDCO had allowed similar set ups to come in Thane and Navi Mumbai limits. But our plea, though CIDCO had agreed, was in the pipeline."

The PMC official said, "Initially, we shortlisted a community centre in Panvel, which we intended to handover to CIDCO to convert into a DCHC. However, the community centre officials expressed their inability to give it as dates for events there were booked and they threatened to take the matter to court. The need to have a DCHC set up on an urgent basis was informed to CIDCO."

Sanjay Shinde, deputy commissioner, PMC, confirmed the same and said, "Since the community centre at Panvel did not work out, we were certain that a temporary set up would not only be a waste of money but also it would not provide any future health infra facility for the local people. As CIDCO was willing to set up a DCHC facility, we had to look for an alternative location and finally, the Urban Health Care Centre, sector 5, Kalamboli, was sought."

Cost sanctioned

A highly placed official in CIDCO informed mid-day that the setting up of the DCHC will cost them approximately over Rs 2.30 crore, and this has been sanctioned. When asked the reason for delay in setting up a DCHC or jumbo centre in PMC, the officer said, "We had already floated the tenders and quotations were sought as per PMC, for the community centre in Panvel. Later, PMC informed us about the litigation concern at Panvel and that they shortlisted Kalamboli. We have started the shifting of an Urban Health Care Centre to a new place within Kalamboli and the DCHC work will begin soon."

On Thursday CIDCO managed to get the final go ahead for shortlisting two cardiac ambulances, for Rs 27 lakh each and within a month's time they will be given to PMC.

When asked to elaborate on the DCHC facility, an official from the Engineering Department of CIDCO explained, "Apart from refurbishing the entire ground plus two floors, the scope of work would include setting a 12-bed ICU with ventilator facility, and 60 beds with oxygen connection. Also, all the required facilities as per the government guidelines for COVID management required for a DCHC will be provided. This includes electrical appliances, furniture, fixtures, rams, Wi-Fi connectivity etc. We will be working round the clock to ensure that the work gets completed within the shortest time period."

'Boon to locals'

Dr Pankaj Titar who was in-charge of Kharghar A ward, and had successfully managed to curtail the pandemic by putting maximum patients under telemedicine at home, feels the DCHC will be a boon to the local residents. Dr Titar said, "This will be the only dedicated COVID Care Centre where we can immediately transfer patients who show signs of hypoxia, and patients with mild symptoms, etc. During the first phase, we had instances where the golden hour was wasted, as decisions on whether patients need to be sent to the sub-district hospital, Panvel or MGM hospital in Kalamboli, could take time."

Titar said the Panvel Municipal Corporation should have a dedicated team of medical experts involved in internal medicine, also pulmonologists and anaesthetists. "Also, it is important that the clinical medical experts' team is involved in the DCHC set up right from the beginning so that they can assist CIDCO staff and contractors to plan it according to their long-term requirements. An attached laboratory set up is a must for such a DCHC, and an X-ray facility is important," he said.

8.40 lakh - No. of people under the PMC

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